Hoiem raves about Pac-12 trip
Jordan Hoiem had never been to a college football game before.
He picked the Arizona-Oregon matchup this past weekend for an unofficial visit and it's an evening he won't soon forget.
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"It was one of the greatest experiences," Hoiem said. "I have never been to a college football game in my life so to start at Oregon and be on the sidelines it was great. I was on the sidelines for warm-ups and the energy was unreal.
"That was the most fun I've had in a long time. They were out there cheering and it was unexplainable. I didn't know how to take it in. It was mind-blowing. I don't even know the words."
Oregon blasted Arizona, 49-0, at Autzen Stadium, widely regarded as one of the best venues in college football and from the beginning to the end Hoiem said it was an outstanding and memorable time as he soaked in the atmosphere.
"I've never seen that many people in my life," Hoiem said. "Our county fair is like the student section over there so it's kind of crazy to see that many people in one place for one event. It showed they're the real deal out there."
The 2014 outside linebacker from Wailuku (Hawaii) Baldwin has been sidelined for almost all of his junior season with a stress fracture in his right foot but that has not stopped top schools from recruiting him.
Hawaii, UNLV, Utah and Utah State have offered but because he hasn't played much this season some other programs have yet to offer. Oregon's coaches said they'd like to see more game film before offering the standout junior.
"I've been out for a while so they were saying to get healthy and to get back out on the field," Hoiem said. "They want to see some film on me first. I want to get healthy and play and they said they hope I have a great season."
Oregon isn't the only major program showing interest. UCLA, Cal, Nebraska, Washington, Washington State, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Boise State and others have all reached out.
Hoiem said the unofficial visit to Oregon worked out perfectly but he's not planning any other trips this season. He's going to see what happens with his recruitment this off-season and then start scheduling more trips when he's a senior.
"Because of my injury it was perfect timing I guess so I wasn't going to play and the flights were cheap so it was a last-minute decision to go to Oregon," Hoiem said.
"We're getting all these letters to come and visit and we said we might as well visit. We'll probably do some more visits next year most likely."